Fran Bennett, Associate Fellow of the Department of Social Policy and Intervention, will be speaking at the Institute for Fiscal Studies Deaton Review event: Men and women at work: the more things change the more they stay the same? The event draws on a research paper written for the Review, for which Fran has written a commentary from a social policy perspective.Â
This will be an online event and will take place on 6 December at 09:30. You can register to attend at the event page. Speakers will also include Alison Andrew, of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and co-author of the research paper, and Lucinda Platt, of the London School of Economics and a member of the Deaton Review Panel.
About this event:
Men and women have historically held very different roles inside and outside the household, and with respect to paid and unpaid work. These have influenced, and been shaped by, power relations between men and women and socialization into different roles by parents and communities. In recent decades we have seen major changes in gender norms within families and societies and in women’s political, social and economic roles - not least their mass entry into the labour force. And yet we still see huge differences in how men and women use their time and in their economic outcomes. After having children gaps in labour force participation and pay between men and women increase markedly and never close again, even if mother’s careers do pick up momentum again many years later once child-rearing is over. Â
This online event presents new evidence on economic inequalities between men and women. It investigates how far patterns of work and pay have changed over time, how this relates to changing education levels of men and women, and what the causes of the persistent gaps are. It asks whether and how policy can enable women’s careers and men’s caring roles, and reduce the risk of poverty among those who face interruptions in paid work.  And it will reflect on what needs to be done to ensure the ability of women and men to enjoy fulfilling home and working lives, and the potential wider effects on society and the economy.
After the presentations, there will be plenty of time for questions. The event will draw on research undertaken as part of the IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities, funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
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About the IFS Deaton Review:
In the most ambitious study of its kind yet attempted, we will aim to understand inequality not just of income, but of health, wealth, political participation, and opportunity; and not just between rich and poor but by gender, ethnicity, geography, age and education. We will cover the full breadth of the population – not just what is happening at the very top and very bottom. We will examine what concerns people about inequality, what aspects of it are perceived to be fair and unfair, and how those concerns relate to the actual levels of inequality and the processes by which they are created. We will examine the big forces that drive inequalities – from technological change, globalisation, labour markets and corporate behaviour to family structures and education systems.Â
To read more please visit the IFS About the review page.
You can read Fran's commentary on the IFS page.
And you can now read the report in full, also on the IFS page.
